Yan Chu learned martial arts from an early age, but if he wanted to be an excellent general, it was not enough to have a military force alone. He must also be able to think quickly and read the art of war. Therefore, when Yan Chu was very young, his biological mother, Third Lady Yan, had begun to enlighten him in literature.
Third Lady Yan was born in the Zheng family in Handan. The Zheng family was not distinguished, but it had a remarkable position among literati. Expressly Third Lady Yan’s father, Venerable Teacher Zheng, was a master of ink painting, which was hard to find.
As the daughter of such a family, Third Lady Yan was also obsessed with books and picture scrolls. After her husband’s death, she was even more attached to painting and calligraphy.
When Third Master Yan was still alive, he often searched for some rare books or valuable papers and inkstones to compensate his lovely wife, who had guarded the empty boudoir alone all year round.
After the Third Master Yan passed away, Third Lady Yan never used those things again. Only when missed him occasionally, she could take them out to solve her yearning and sorrow.
As the only son of Third Lady Yan, the original self had become a person who could often touch those things.
It was thanks to the few memories in his mind that Yan Chu could detect the problems in that paper.
Qin Qiuzi, who was a master of ink making in Ming, manufactured the ink by hand, which was like paint, colorfast, and waterproof. These were not the most prominent characteristics of Qiuzi ink and most praised for its fragrance.
The ink aroma was similar to medicine but mixed with the other smell of Saussurea Costus Root, and when written on paper, the fragrance would last for a century.
After Qin Qiuzi became famous, he produced very few inkstones, which were almost hard to find. He was from Ming. Zhou and Jiang’s people wanted to use Qiuzi ink, and there had to be those itinerant traders who traveled between the Three Kingdoms. Usually, after several changes of hands, the price was higher!
Therefore, even for those high-ranking officials and noble families, it was a treasure to have a block of Qiuzi ink stick, and would not use it easily.
Just like the Yan family, there was only one piece of Qiuzi ink stick, which was collected by Third Master Yan for his wife before his death.
The reason why this memory was so apparent was that when the original self was seven years old, he threw Third Lady Yan’s piece of Qiuzi ink stick in a water jar because he thought it had a good smell. When they were finally found out and fished it out, there was only a small chunk remaining and a jar full of fragrant ink water.
Perhaps for the person who framed him, Qiuzi ink was just something that able to use at will. Since he was used to it, he would not think it strange. He ignored this fatal problem when imitating his handwriting.
First, did Yan Chu take a piece of Qiuzi ink stick with him when he joined the army? Second, Jiang’s royal family had their special inkstone. Qiuzi ink would not appear in Jiang’s royal family. In this case, why Qiuzi ink used on both sides of this letter?
When Yan Chu raised this question, people in Xuanshi Hall were stunned!
Because although the fragrance of the Qiuzi ink was unique, the scent was light, so only when you smelt it carefully could you smell it. Its main character still had the smell of ink. Moreover, everyone focused solely on identifying the handwriting on it and had not carefully examined what ink these written words.
Emperor Zhou quickly asked someone to take the letter and put it under his nose to smell it carefully. Although it was light, it was Qiuzi ink’s smell for sure.
“God knows whether or not you like that Qiuzi ink. Not only do you always take it with you, but also you may not be the intermediary of Jiang’s royal family.”
The crown prince’s face turned red and said that. His crude excuses made Emperor Zhou furious. How could his son have the feeling that he wanted to place Yan Chu in a death trap?
The crown prince represented the entire royal family of the Great Zhou, yet he was impatient like this. Wouldn’t this make people think this was all his idea, thinking he was afraid of Yan Chu’s great meritorious deeds overriding the Lord and united other people to frame him?
Emperor Zhou was alert, and several alarm bells rang in his heart.
Qiuzi ink was not extremely rare in the palace. At least Emperor Zhou had two pieces of them. The crown prince was the heir apparent to a throne, and Emperor Zhou had granted it to him. Apart from this, the empress and the second princess Zhou Mingzhu also had them.
It might be assumed that in this way. After Yan Chu raised this doubtful detail, would the court councilors doubt him, this Emperor?
“Qiuzi ink only produced ten pieces each year, five pieces tributed to Ming’s royal family, and the remaining five pieces given to who and transferred to whose hands, everything is traceable.”
Third Lady Yan hurriedly stood out and knelt: “I beseech Your Majesty mustn’t get the villain’s purpose by all means, which has chilled the hearts of the meritorious officials.”
She regretted it very much now. After her husband died, she should not have given her son to her husband’s parents to teach him and let her little son shoulder the heavy responsibility of the whole Yan family.
These days, her son was imprisoned in prison, his life and death were uncertain, and yet he also endured the reprimands and vituperations of the whole Great Zhou’s commoners.
Third Lady Yan was initially a relatively quiet person, pretty noble and virtuous. She could not stand such an immense difference, and her heart suddenly assaulted with stubbornness.
Her husband and son gave their lives to protect such a group of people. In this case, why did their Yan family stick to their original commitment? She hated those ungrateful people and this Great Zhou’s royal family. This time, he came out alive. No matter what, she would not let her son go to the battlefield again.
Those people were undeserving and not worthy of his protection.
“Your Majesty, there’s something suspicious about this matter. It’s better to bring General Fu up and ask how he found these letters.”
Prime Minister Guo stood out. Before, he was wise to protect himself, but now since he had doubts, he should help the Yan family.
Behind the screen, Zhou Mingli looked at her legitimate younger sister, who still maintained a faint smile. Her eyelids lowered, and she did not know what she was thinking.
Fu Cong was a tall, handsome young man. He seemed to be training and was wearing silver armor when he got called.
“This subject pays respect to His Imperial Majesty. Long live my Emperor.”
Fu Cong knelt beside Yan Chu on one knee. After the courtesy, he gave Yan Chu a careful look, with traces of apology in his eyes.
“General Fu, tell me how you found these letters. Normally, if General Yan truly collaborated with the enemy and betrayed the country, these letters shouldn’t be found at will.”
Prime Minister Guo asked Fu Cong.
Fu Cong’s face was very solemn: “On that day, General Yan took his soldiers to fight Ming, and a suspicious assassin suddenly appeared in the camp, which appeared from General Yan’s barracks. Because General Yan’s barracks had confidential military documents and blueprints, and to prevent important letters from being taken away by the assassin, this subordinate had to inspect General Yan’s barracks account with several deputy generals, and found these letters under General Yan’s mattress. This matter is grave because the handwriting on it is the same as that of the general. At the day’s end, I had to be so bold as to detain the general when he came back unprepared and wrote a letter to Your Majesty.”
He recounted what had happened that day intact, no less than his previous confession.
“General Fu has a good memory. It’s hard for you to remember the whole thing so clearly. If I don’t know, I think you memorized it in advance.”
Old Madam Yan was very dissatisfied with this junior who her husband had been optimistic about before. She thought that her grandson was framed, and there must be the other’s portion. After all, the biggest beneficiary now was him. Old General Yan died of illness, and Yan Chu got imprisoned too. Now the whole Yan family’s army was under his control. She feared it would get renamed to the Fu family’s army within a few years.
“Old Madam, my words are verified. Many people could testify to me that day.”
Fu Cong’s expression was somewhat helpless, but Old Madam Yan was his teacher’s wife. He could only tolerate this elderly.
Yan Chu looked at the people around him. His memory remained at the age of 16, and the person in front of him had never appeared before that.
Fu Cong felt his gaze and turned his head. There was no guilty conscience between his general facial appearance.
“The situation was urgent at the time, Your Majesty. There seemed to be some doubts about this matter. But in that case, this subordinate didn’t have time to consider it. Asking Your Majesty to investigate into this matter thoroughly, as Old Madam said.”
Fu Cong kowtowed three times: “The Yan family’s army is the army of the Yan family, and it won’t be able to bear this heavy responsibility at the end. The young general is very loyal. These days will always come at the end and many unexplained doubtful points in this. Once the young general exonerates, this subordinate is willing to return to the commander in chief’s position and still provide the young general’s errands.”
The Yan family’s army is the army of the Yan family. That did not sound right. Emperor Zhou felt nothing. Anyway, the narrow-minded Royal Highness Crown Prince was feeling uncomfortable.
“Your Majesty.”
Old Madam Yan stood up and knelt tremblingly, “General Fu also said that there was an assassin in the camp that day. Those letters, most likely left by the assassin. Otherwise, it couldn’t explain Qiuzi ink’s problem. Asking Your Majesty to return justice to my Yan family.”
Emperor Zhou already selfishly felt that Yan Chu was innocent. After all, the flow direction of every piece of Qiuzi ink could be determined. The things in Yan Chu’s camp on that day were still in the palace as evidence. There were only ordinary inkstones in it, but there was no famous Qiuzi ink.
But now the popular grievances boiled over outside. Even if Yan Chu got cleared of the accusation of treason, the relatives of those 30,000 officers and soldiers that died in the war would not forgive the man who initiated the battle. Moreover, the ten cities that ceded were also the hidden pain in Emperor Zhou’s heart.
As for what Yan Chu said, he was determined to win. Now that it had come to this point, no one knew what would happen if there had not been these collusions with the enemy, and treason matters.
The charges that did not conform to the law should get removed. But those that should get penalized must also be punished.
“Yan Chu, you dispatched your troops to attack Ming without permission, made my Great Zhou lose ten cities as well as sacrificing the lives of nearly 30,000 high-ranking military officers. We’ll punish you, to withdraw from Yan family’s army commander-in-chief duty, demoted to the fifth-ranked retainer of Traveling Cavalry General, and compensate 100,000 taels of silver for the households of the officers and soldiers who died in battle. Can you serve it?”
It was more than enough for the whole Yan family to take out 100,000 taels. Moreover, although the position of Fifth-ranked Traveling Cavalry Retainer not as good as Yan Chu’s former one of Second-ranked White Horse Cavalry Military Officer and Commander-in-chief of the Yan family’s army, he could climb up slowly by his merits for his age. He could climb back to his original position sooner or later.
Based on his crime of dispatching troops without permission, Emperor Zhou had already decided to cherish his talent!
But, unfortunately—
“Your Majesty, the tendon of Yan Chu’s hands and feet are entirely broken now. I’m afraid that I’m unworthy of Your Majesty’s love!” Yan Chu raised his arms, and the loose cuffs slid down naturally, revealing two ghastly wounds on his wrists and deep or shallow marks of whipping on his arms.
“What!”
Old Madam Yan and Third Lady Yan almost fainted at this scene.
Emperor Zhou stood up in a bit of a blunder. Who dared to go so far as to cut Yan Chu’s sinews off? In this fact, God made Great Zhou short of a good general.
